Taiwan'S Long Road to Democracy: Bitter Taste of Freedom

Description

This edited translation of Katutugu Yoshida's Jiyuno Nigaiaji analyses the gradual process of reform in Taiwan over the past 100 years. It pays particular attention to the dilemmas, compromises and pitfalls that have faced reformists as they have strived to bring democratic change under a series of brutal dictatorships.
The author discusses the historical background to Taiwan's current constitutional issues and its difficult relationship with the People's Republic of China. It explores in detail the way in which local political activism has transformed national politics, providing original analysis of democratic political thought in East Asia and a rich explanation of the social, historical and political context of democratization in Taiwan. The book makes a significant theoretical contribution to the literature on political reform by using the Taiwanese context to explore debates between reformists and revolutionaries and to consider the development of the concept of the right to self-determination.
This challenging and stimulating book will strongly appeal to scholars and students with an interest in Asian studies, politics, public policy and public choice.

About Author

The late Katutugu Yoshida, Former Professor, University of Hyogo, Japan. Translated by Toshie Habu, Visiting Researcher, Asian Research Institute, Osaka University of Economics and Law, Japan and Peter Hayes, Senior Lecturer in Politics, University of Sunderland, UK

Contents

Contents: Preface to the English Version: The Politics of Gradualism Introduction Part I: Middle Way Gradualism in Taiwanese Minpon Thought 1. Rivalry between Democracy and Dictatorship: The Three Principles of the People and the Five Yuan Constitution 2. The Chinese Magna Carta: The May Fifth Draft Constitution and its 12 Amendments 3. Taisho Democracy and Taiwanese Minpon (The Primacy of the People) Thought 4. `Party-State Dictatorship' and the Republic of China Constitution 5. Peaceful System Change and the Democratic Magna Carta 6. The Constitution and the Common People Part II: Taiwan: Civil Rights and Self-Determination 7. The Penghu Archipelago and Taiwanese Nationalism 8. Taiwanese Nationalism and Civil Determination Rights 9. Common Issues for Independence and Unification: An Interview with Yuan T. Lee 10. Bitter Taste of Freedom: Questions to Lee Teng-hui Postscript References Index